LED Lights: Low-Power, Long Life
The revolution continues. LEDs serve a growing range of uses on board.
Marine Watches
Casio's Sea Pathfinder 40 gets top honors for functionality, readability, and price - but it's not for the slim-wristed. Higher-quality watches lack some functions we like.
Seaboots Under $100
You should be able to keep your feet warm, dry, and on deck for a reasonable price—and you can.
Cold-Weather Gloves
In freezing temperatures we field-tested 12 pairs of cold-weather gloves from different sports to see which ones keep hands warmest, yet still offer a bit of dexterity.
Brinkmann, LSI, Optronics Shine Bright in Spotlight Test
Sixteen lights from six manufacturers.
The State of Our Soles
We've been wearing two styles of Body Glove deck shoes for about three months-the Bowline, which is a sneaker-type deck shoe, and the Whitewater,...
Boat Bags: Watershed, SealLine Dominate; West a Best Buy
Many of the gear and duffel bags labeled 'waterproof' in the marine catalogs failed our tests. However, after examining 26 models, we did find a few truly dry bags.
Personal Rescue Lights: Less Than Brilliant
ACR slightly outshone the rest of a dim group. These lights can help in a quick pick-up, but youre unlikely to see them beyond a half-mile in most sea conditions.
Sunglasses: MJ Commanders Lead Way; Serengetis a Best Buy
We prefer Maui Jim, but Oakley and Costa Del Mar also fare well in our test of 19 pairs from eight manufacturers.
Offshore Log: Seeing in the Dark
Two of the most important tools on our night passages through the Java Sea and South China Sea were our Fujinon FMTR-SX binoculars and our ITT Night Mariner 250 binocular-style night vision scope.
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: The BEST Sailboat You Can Buy for $35,000 – Catalina...
If you’re searching for a mid-30-foot sailboat, affordable cruising sailboat, liveaboard sailboat, first sailboat, or a capable used sailboat for coastal cruising, the Catalina...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Learning by Doing on a $5,000 Catalina 30 Mk II
When Davis’s mother started talking about wanting to do something “big” for retirement, Davis and Gloria half-jokingly threw out an idea that seemed suitably...
